Refractory block



1,634,357 R. J. HIMMELRIGHT REFRACTORY BLOCK July 5, 1927.

7 Filed JulySl, 1922 2 Sheets-Shut 1 WITNESS 'L Jugs? 55 192% R-J. HIMMELRIGHT REFRACTORY BLOCK Filed July 51, 1922 7 r r r m A 0% w m imilm r Z m Patented July 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES RALEIGH J. RIMMELRIGH'I, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T AMERICAN PATENT OFFICE.

ARCH COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

nnrmc'ronx BLOCK.

Application filed. July 31,

My-invention relates to refractory blocks or]-{ bricks for furnace construction and the li e.

Heretofore furnaces have been lined with 6 relatively large, flat unitary fire bricks or blocks. Owing to the large size of such brick (equivalent to some half a dozen ordinary fire brick or more), it has been necessary to break them up a ood deal, in order to obtain smaller pieces that could be fitted into correspondingly small corners and other spaces in laying up a furnacelining.

This, however, is laborious and wasteful,-

and often results in irre ular, poorly fitting pieces being used, with .t eresult of corners being unduly exposed and the lining locally limited and wasted away under the intense eat. Y 7 Moreover, where interengaging means have been used such as pro ecting dowels with corresponding recesses, the large size of the blocks has necessitated their being made by hand methods because of the greatdifliculty in properly pressing them up by machine to form the dowels and recesses.-

I aim to overcome these drawbacks of existing practice, by means of novel refractory blocks of conveniently large size for expeditious laying, and small brick units or sections. Preferably, my large blocks have definite relatively easy planes of fracture or cleavage, and consists of a plurality of my small brick units or sections united together in such a way that they can be readily and certainly separated along definite planes upon occasion. If desired, also, my single brick sections may be used with the large refractory blocks, so as to obviate or minimize the necessity of breaking apart or detaching portions of the large blocks.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view of a brick unit suitable for the purposes of my invention, partly in mid section.

Fig. 2 is a bottom face view.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a segment-ary refractory block consisting of a plurality of the units of Figs. 1 and 2 cemented together.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a corner between walls formed of the blocks or brick units of Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are Views similar to Figs. 1 and 2 illustrating a modified form of my brick unit.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illus- 1922. Serial No. 578,544.

trating the use of the brick shown in Figs. 5 and 6 Figs. 8 and 9 are side and bottom views respectively-of a unit similar to that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 but having end tongue and groove interlockin means so that adjacent units can be suita ly tied together.

Fig. 10 illustrates a block made up of the units of Figs. 8 and 9.

Fig. 11 discloses a unit like that of Figs. 5 and 6Qbut having the tongue and groove of 8 and 9.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a unit having a slot across one face thereof and the tongue anil groove interlocking scheme.

1g. Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a plan view of a unit having three grooves across the faces thereof and W131i rabbeted interengaging means at the en s.

Fig. 15 is a block built up of the units of Fig. 14 so as to form full round holes through the block.

Fig. 16 is a plan view of a unit having a pair of grooves across one face thereof and with V-shaped tongue and groove interlocking members; and

Fig. 17 is .a block built up of the units of Fig. 16 so as to form half round holes through the block.

The refractory brick units 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 have substantially the form and proportions of ordinary fire brick. At its opposite faces, each of these units 10 has correlative engagement means of dowel form, comprising a pair of low circular protuberances 11, 11 on one side or face, and a corresponding pair of shallow recesses 12, 12 on the other face. As shown, the recesses 12, 12 have the form of shallow, round ended grooves extending lengthwise of the units 10, so as to permit limited relative movement or variation in position of adjacent units in that direction while confining them to more definite relations transversely. Such limited variation of the units 10 enables them to be readily accommodated to minor irregularities in the spaces to which they must be fitted in installation.

' The refractory block 15 of Fig. 3 is made up of a number of the units 10 detachably united together at their juxtaposed correla- 13 is a block built up of the units of -ices tively dowelled faces. Various methods may be employed for bonding the units 10 together: for example, they may be cemented together with a tiring type of bonding cement while still raw, and the resultant blocks 15 stacked on end, so to speak, for firing, so that the weight of the sections will assure proper cohesion; or the units 10 may first be fired singly, and then cemented together with a self-hardening cement and stacked as before to set. In any case, the units or sections 10 are preferably united only over facial areas exclusive of their dowel means 11, 11 and 12-, 12i. e., by a sort of skin bond of relatively narrow width along and near their edges,so that the sections can be the more readily broken apart along the definite planes of fracture or cleavage for variant subdivision aflorded by the cement, and so that when broken apart the dowel means of any of their subdivisions will be clean and unmutilated for interlocking exactly as desired when they are laid up in a boiler furnace wall or a fire pan lining, or the like.

At the stage when the fresh cement layer has been applied and squeezed between the units 10 to unite them into blocks 15, this layer is naturally yielding to any force tending to slide the units or sections over one another as permitted by the dowel means 11, 11; 12, 12; whereas it is desired to keep the units fixed in proper alignment, so that when the cement is hard they shall form a perfectly regular, symmetrical, or rectangular block 15. For this purpose, the units 10 may preferably be provided with correlative engagement means at their opposite faces for preventing even the limited relative movement permitted by the dowel means 11, 12. As shown, these supplemental or auxiliary engagement means comprise triangular ridges 16 extending crosswise of the units 10 midway between the projections 11, 11, and corresponding transverse triangular grooves 17 midway between the-recesses or depressions 12, 12. The engagement means 16 assureproper assemblage of the units 10 to form the blocks 15, but are readily broken off and removed by a few blows of a bricklayers hammer after the brick units 10 of a block 15 have been separated,so as to permit the parts to be assembled with other blocks 15' or units 10 in any desired relations permitted by the dowel means 11, 12.

Fig. 4 illustrates the assemblage of blocks 15 to form a corner between two walls, 18, 19, with alternate coursesof the two walls interlocked at rightangles, so to speak, and the blocks of diiferent courses in each wall arranged to break joints. The pairs of dowel protuberances. 11 and recesses 12 of the brick units 10 accommodate the blocks 15 to this arrangement quite perfectly.

In some instances, it may be desired to lay blocks or brick units in various more or less irregular ways not permitted by the dowel means 11, 12 of Figs. 1 to 4;. For this purpose, units or sections 20 may be made with dowel means such as shown in Figs. 5 to 7. Here the circular protuberances 11 are just like those of Figs. 1 to 4; but the recesses 22 are amplified to a circular outline much larger than the protuberances, so as to permit more latitude of arrangement than would the grooves 12 of Figs. 1 to 4. As shown, the units 20 have the engagement means 16, 17 of Figs. 1 to l. Fig. 7

shows a refractory block comprising one of these units 20 arranged cater-cornered.

with reference to two walls 18, 19 made up wholly of units 10.

Owing to their relatively small size, the brick units or sections 10, 20 with their engagement means 11, '12, 16, 17 22 can be pressed up in a machine press very expeditiously and economically, so that the sectional self-cleaving blocks formed from them are somewhat less costly than the old unitary blocks. On the other hand, they can be much more readily, accurately and cleanly subdivided in a variety of ways, as required by the exigencies of a particular job; and their component sections themselves can also be broken up more cleanly and easily when further subdivision is necpieces.

In Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive the units 10 are provided with a tongue 23 at one end and a groove 24- at the other end so that adjacent units or blocks may be suitably interena ed.

D Tn Fig. 11 the unit 20 is provided with the tongue and groove interlock of Figs. 8 to 10.

The unit 25 of Figs. 12 and 13 is provided with a flat recess 26 in one face forming, in a block 27, slots extending all the way through the block. In Figs. 14 and 15 the units 28 are provided in each face with rounded grooves 29 adapted to align in adjacent bricks of a block 30 to form round holes 31 extending through the block. The interengaging means of these units is provided for by the rabbeting 32. Figs. 16 and 17 illustrate a unit 33 having a groove 34:.

in one face only so that in a block 35 formed of such units there will be provided a half round hole 36. The interlocking feature in this instance includes a V-shaped tongue 37 and a correspondingly shaped recess 38.

All of the units in Figs.'8 to 17 inclusive I are provided on their opposite faces with the engagement means 16, 17 already described, althou h the position thereof varies to suit the speclal design.

What I claim is:

1. A refractory block for furnace construction comprising a plurality of brick -essary to afford very small but regular units having at their juxtaposed faces 00- operating dowel means, and detachably united together over areas of said faces exclusive of said dowel means.

2. A refractory block for furnace cons'truction comprising a plurality of brick units having at their juxtaposed faces co-operating dowel means permitting limited longitudinal relative variation of the units, and also readily removable engagement means for preventing such movement; said units being detachably. cemented together over areas of said faces exclusive of said dowel means.

3. A refractory brick unit for furnace construction having at its opposite faces dowel means for cooperating with those of juxtaposed brick units to prevent more than limited relative sliding movement of the units, together With readily removable engagement means for preventing even the limited movement permitted by said first mentioned means.

4. As a new article of manufacture a laminar refractory block for furnace con- 25 st'ruction built up of a plurality of units and providing definite planes of relatively easy cleavage for variant subdivision.

5; As a new article of manufacture a laminar refractory block for furnace con- 30 struction built up of a plurality of brick units detachably united together near their edges.

6. As a new article of manufacture a laminar refractory block for furnace con- 35 struction comprising a plurality of units having at their juxtaposed faces cooperating dowel means permitting limited longitudinal relative variation of the units.

In testimony whereof, I have vhereunto signed my name.

RALEIGH J. HIMIMELRIGHT. 

